Twelve Seasons
by Kimblee Whitehead
Summary: Before becoming a ruthless dictator, Kuvira started out as a loyal guard of Zaofu. In the time she set out to unite the Earth Kingdom, she changed. She grew. She found love. She became ruthless.


**Spring, Year One**

As the airship flew through the air, Kuvira gazed out the window. They were flying over a forest, where all the trees were beginning to blossom. The world below her was encased with flowers of white and pink.

It was breathtaking. It was hard to believe that a kingdom so beautiful was corrupted by pure chaos.

The wind started to blow, and the petals began to swirl around the world below. A small smile started to form on her face. It was almost as if they were dancing.

There was a knock at the door. Kuvira's attention shot up to the door.

"Yes?" she asked, as officially as she could sound, "Who is it? What do you want?"

"It's me," came the familiar voice, "Uh, Baatar. Permission to come in?"

"No," Kuvira shot back, quickly. She wanted to be alone right now. As much as she enjoyed Baatar's company, she didn't want him to see her right now.

Moment's earlier, she had been crying. She had since been able to come to her senses, but the evidence of her weakness still marked her face.

It wasn't as if she was crying about anything rational either. Every one in a while, her argument with Su would flash in her head. Su's words echoed throughout her head, and she could distinctly remember the disappointed bite. When the thought came into her mind, she would simply tell herself that she didn't care what Su thought. Su had turned her back on the Earth Kingdom. She was not her family.

But then this annoying little thought came into her head. Su was rooting for her failure. No, not just Su. The entire city of Zaofu was rooting against her. The city she grew up in, the family that took her in, and woman who taught her everything she knew, none of them wanted her to succeed. It was a horrible feeling.

And what if she did fail. What if she cast aside her cozy life in Zaofu for nothing? What if she inspired the hatred of those she saw as family, only to be marked as a fool? Her mission wasn't an easy one. Any number of things could go wrong.

She only had two airships at her disposal, with a measly crew of thirty-two to share between the two of them. They were a small task-forced, for a job that needed an army. Quite frankly, the odds were against her.

In the week since they started, she had been able to suppress those feelings, temporarily. But finally, this one time it came up, she couldn't get rid of it. It overpowered her. She couldn't control it. Finally, in the safety of her room, she broke down.

But, she was able to regain her composure. It took more strength then she liked to admit, but she was able to do it.

There was another knock at her door. Baatar hadn't left yet.

"What?" Kuvira asked, a bit of a bite to her voice.

"We're nearing the town," Baatar replied. He was calm. Collected. Professional. Kuvira swore to herself. She needed to make herself look presentable, and quickly.

"How long until landing?" she questioned.

"Fifteen minutes."

She took a deep breath. That would hopefully give her enough time. She stood up, and walked over to a small radio. She needed to relax herself, and fast. She turned the device on, and began to turn the channels. Finally, a lively melody coated in static began to play. It wasn't an ideal piece of music, but it would have to do.

She went to the center of the room, and took a deep breath. She placed her arms out in front of her, and with a push from her leg, she began to dance. She hoped the rush of blood would help clear the stains on her face.

"What are you doing in there?" Baatar questioned, hearing the music from the door.

"None of your business," Kuvira fired back, continuing her movements. And in that moment, she forgot everything else. She forgot about her fears, her anxieties, and her pride. She just focused on her movements, and on her body. Airbender's meditated; Kuvira danced.

The minutes flew by, until finally, there was another knock at her door.

"Kuvira," Baatar said, "We're five minutes from landing."

The metal-bender ceased her movements. She looked at her face in the mirror. A particularly watchful eye might be able to notice the evidence on her face, but it would have to be good enough.

"Right," she said.

She walked out of the door, and looked to Baatar. The boy saluted her, and followed behind her. They walked through the hallway, the only sound between them being the sounds of their footsteps.

"May I say something?" Baatar asked, before they reached the door. Kuvira stopped, and looked at him.

"Make it quick," she commanded. Baatar looked at her, their eyes meeting, and an awkward smile forming on his face.

"I know our odds aren't great right now," he commented, "But they'll get better."

"What makes you say that?" she asked. His awkward smile grew.

"My mother never put enough faith in you," he continued, "What I mean to say is...it's a difficult task. Some would say impossible."

"Your optimism is inspiring,"

"No, I mean...well, it took the fire nation one hundred years to conquer the earth kingdom."

"We're not conquering them. We're subduing them."

"Well yeah, but..." Baatar stopped, and took a breath, "What I'm saying is...if anyone can do this, it's you."

His words hit her. She clenched her fists. She felt her eyes start to feel watery, but she fought it off.

"Thanks," she said. There was an awkward pause between them. They broke eye contact, and looked away. Kuvira shook her head.

"Let's move out," she said, and the two continued. They exited the airship.

The town was small, warn down. Walls and people alike looked warn down. She could tell the area hadn't been attended to in quite some time.

But then a gust of wind kicked in, brining with it flower petals from the forest. The danced around the air, brining a splash of life to the area. Kuvira smiled. She would unite the kingdom in an era of peace and prosperity.

* * *

><p><em>So, I really love Kuvira. She is a wonderful character, and perhaps one of the best villains Korra has had to offer. I find it facinating that she started out as one of the good guys, and I wanted to know what caused the change from loyal Zaofu guard, to ruthless dictator. And so this story was born. I hope you all enjoyed it!<em>


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